Graphics system with copy out conversions between embedded frame buffer and main memory for producing a streaming video image as a texture on a displayed object image

• US 7,317,459 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2006
• Issued: 01/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Cheng, Howard, Van Hook, Timothy J., Moore, Robert, Leather, Mark M., Fouladi, Farhad
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, JIN CHENG
• Application Number:
  US11/604,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20070070083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• Field of Search: 345/604, 345/546, 345/506
• US Class Current: 345/604
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/005 General purpose rendering architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0247 Flicker reduction other than flicker reduction circuits used for single beam cathode-ray tubes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0276 for the purpose of adaptation to the characteristics of a display device, i.e. gamma correction
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/127 Updating a frame memory using a transfer of data from a source area to a destination area
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/02 characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/363 Graphics controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/391 Resolution modifying circuits, e.g. variable screen formats
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/393 Arrangements for updating the contents of the bit-mapped memory
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/399 using two or more bit-mapped memories, the operations of which are switched in time, e.g. ping-pong buffers

Abstract

A graphics processor includes an embedded frame buffer for storing frame data prior to sending the frame data to an external location, such as main memory. A copy pipeline is provided which converts the data from one format to another format prior to writing the data to the external location. The conversion may be from one RGB color format to another RGB color format, from one YUV format to another YUV format, from an RGB color format to a YUV color format, or from a YUV color format to an RGB color format. MPEG image data initially stored in main memory in a YUV format as a texture is transferred to the embedded frame buffer prior to initiating a copy-out process via the copy pipeline from the embedded frame buffer to an external frame buffer in main memory. During the copy-out process, pixels are converted from YUV format to an RGB format. A new texture image containing MPEG image data is placed in the embedded frame buffer prior to each successive copy out process operation so as to produce a streaming video image as a surface texture on at least a portion of a displayed object image.

Claims

1. In a graphics system including a main processor and a pipelined architecture graphics coprocessor having an embedded frame buffer memory, the embedded frame buffer memory instantiated on a same semiconductor chip substrate as at least a portion of a graphics processing pipeline, and an external frame buffer residing within a main memory of said graphics system, said main memory being configured on one or more semiconductor chips separate from a semiconductor chip containing said graphics processing pipeline, a pixel data copy-out process for copying pixel data from said embedded frame buffer memory to said external frame buffer wherein said copy-out process performs predetermined pixel data conversion and/or filtering operations during transferring of pixel data from said embedded frame buffer to said external frame buffer, the pixel data copy-out process comprising:

selecting a region of pixels in the embedded frame buffer as a source for a pixel data copy operation, wherein the selected region of pixels contains MPEG image data in YUV format;

selecting a destination in the external frame buffer in said main memory for the pixel data copy operation; and

converting the selected region of pixels from a YUV format to an RGB format during said pixel data copy-out process when pixel data is transferred from said embedded frame buffer to said external frame buffer.

2. The pixel data copy-out process of claim 1 wherein MPEG image data is initially stored in main memory as a texture which is subsequently transferred to said embedded frame buffer prior to initiating said copy-out process.

3. The pixel data copy-out process of claim 1 wherein a new texture image containing MPEG image data is stored in the embedded frame buffer prior to each successive copy out process operation so as to produce a streaming video image on at least a portion of a displayed image.

4. A graphics generating system including a main processor, an associated graphics system main memory and a separate graphics coprocessor chip having graphics processing pipeline circuitry and an on-chip embedded frame buffer memory, said graphics system main memory being separate memory which is riot embedded on a same graphics coprocessor chip as said graphics processing pipeline circuitry, the graphics generating system comprising:

a programmable pixel data post-processing copy-out pipeline that selectively converts pixel data from one image format to another during a reading and transfer of the data from the embedded frame buffer to the separate non-embedded main memory, wherein the copy-out pipeline is operable to transfer pixel data to a display buffer area within the separate non-embedded main memory and wherein the copy-out pipeline converts successive frames of YUV formatted MPEG data stored in the embedded frame buffer memory to RGB pixel data upon transfer of the pixel data to the display buffer area so as to enable displaying of streaming MPEG video images.

5. The graphics generating system as in claim 4 wherein the MPEG data is initially stored in main memory as a texture image that is subsequently transferred to the embedded frame buffer prior to converting to RGB pixel data.

6. In a graphics processing system for rendering 3-D polygon based images for display, a method of superimposing streaming video as a texture on a surface of a rendered and displayed object, said graphics processing system including a graphics processing chip having an embedded memory which includes a first frame buffer and a separate non-embedded second frame buffer in a main memory provided separate from said graphics processing chip, the method comprising:

storing a texture image containing MPEG image data in the first embedded frame buffer on the graphics processing chip;

initiating a copy out operation for reading-out and transferring image data from the first embedded frame buffer to the separate non-embedded second frame buffer located in the main memory of the graphics processing system, wherein said copy out operation includes;

converting said MPEG image data from a YUV format to a ROB display format during the copy out operation upon reading out said image data from the embedded first frame buffer and prior to writing said image data to the non-embedded second frame buffer; and

writing convened MPEG image data to the non-embedded second frame buffer located in the main memory of the graphics system and displaying rendered image data from said second frame buffer.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein MPEG image data is initially stored in main memory as a texture which is subsequently transferred to said first embedded frame buffer prior to initiating said copy out operation.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein a new texture image containing MPEG image data is stored in the first embedded frame buffer prior to successive copy out operations so as to produce a streaming video image on at least a portion of a displayed image.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the copy out operation, which includes converting MPEG image data from a YUV format to a RGB display format prior to writing image data to the non-embedded second frame buffer, is performed on successive video frames stored in the second frame buffer so as to produce a streaming video image on at least a portion of a displayed image.

10. A graphics generating system including a main processor, an associated graphics system main memory and a separate graphics coprocessor chip having graphics processing pipeline circuitry and an on-chip embedded frame buffer memory, said graphics system main memory being separate memory which is not embedded on a same graphics coprocessor chip as said graphics processing pipeline circuitry, comprising:

a programmable pixel data post-processing copy-out pipeline that selectively converts pixel data from one image format to another during a reading and copying of data from the embedded frame buffer to the separate non-embedded main memory, wherein the copy-out pipeline is operable to copy pixel data to a texture image storage area within the separate non-embedded main memory and wherein the copy-out pipeline applies a box filter to the pixel data in the embedded frame buffer prior to copying the data to the texture image storage area such that a lower level of detail texture image is created within the texture image storage area.